Box Office Report 'Fast and Furious 6' Rolls over Competition

There are two things to talk about this weekend. One is that Fast and Furious 6killed it on the big screen. The other is that The Hangover Part III (profitably) ate dirt. It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times.

Fastwas going to be big, but no one was predicting that it would (nearly) break the hundred million mark over the three day. The fanbase was there, and the last film was great, so this is what happens. This is a holiday weekend, so it’s hard to know if the film will be able to get to $300 domestically, and the film could be horribly front loaded, but Universal was right to already start on a seventh film.

Now they’re saying that The Hangover Part IIIcost a little over a hundred million, which means the main cast got paid upfront money. Domestically, it’s looking at maybe $120 Million as a final goal. Next weekend should be brutal, and it’s not a favorite film, so it’s all about international. Epicdid a little better than I thought, but even if it gets to $100 Million (it’s got between now and Monsters University), it still feels a little limp.

That Star Trekdidn’t fall over 50% is a good sign for the movie. That said, it’s pretty much done so it’s going to get over $200 Million or fall a little short of it. Next weekend not only features After Earth, but also there’s no holiday, so a 60% to 70% drop is not out of the question. Iron Man 3looks like it should cross the $400 Million dollar mark, and The Great Gatsbyhas been much stronger than anticipated – perhaps it will get to $150 yet. It was a robust weekend.

Damon worked in the film business as a Film Buyer for a theater chain for many years, which gives him an interesting perspective on the numbers. He's written for Collider, Chud, Screencrush, The DVD Journal and Binaryflix online, and was published by The New York Times and Willamette Week, along with his college, high school and middle school papers.